


Brace For Impact

by SimplyEssa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Crying, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self Harm, Keith (Voltron) Angst, M/M, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, Protective Lance (Voltron), i spelt simultaneously horribly thank you for not saving me autocorrect, not much to tag folks, overall lotor is a dick who likes to be a bitch to keith while simeltaneously trying to seduct him, top ten anime betrayals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-11 20:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15323679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyEssa/pseuds/SimplyEssa
Summary: The walls Keith had built years ago, the walls that had stayed sturdy and strong throughout his years without Lotor, come crashing down.





	Brace For Impact

**Author's Note:**

> it’s me, ya boi, skinny pe—
> 
> sadly enough i still have no motivation for chapters fics— or anlot of fics, rip  
> also fluffy i swear i’m working on that keitor one if you’re reading this— or, trying to  
> also;; i absolutely detest the word / label “attention whore”, but i found it fitting for this fic

Keith remembers.

He remembers all of it, the pain, the tears, the words whispered against his ear as Lotor left the apartment, promising to never come back while Keith wept.

When Lotor shows up at his doorstep after two years, he doesn’t know whether or not he wants to throw a vase at his face or cry.

Maybe both.

He swallows thickly, hand shaking and grip tight on the doorknob as he forces his head up, to meet Lotor’s eyes— the ones he used to love so much (a small part of him longs to love them, him, again, and be loved in return).

Lance is humming in their kitchen, the sound of sizzling quiet in Keith’s ears despite how close the front door is to the kitchen, to Lance. 

Blood rushes through his ears, making it hard to hear as Lotor opens his mouth. He doesn’t hear it; doesn’t want to. 

He doesn’t want to deal with Lotor, something he keeps repeating to himself (though, if he really didn’t want to, why didn’t he slam the door in his face, or call for Lance?).

It takes him a moment to realize Lotor had been talking the entire time, and he only became aware of his surroundings when Lotor stepped closer. A bouquet of blue roses were in the hands that were previously behind his back, outstretched towards him. 

He blinks slowly, eyes stuck on the flowers Lotor is offering him. 

His breathing isn’t right. It’s choppy; irregular. Fast.

When he opens his mouth to speak (to say what? Yell at him? Apologize for nothing? Tell him to leave? Call for Lance?), he finds his throat closing up, eyes watering uncomfortably. He feels as if even if he does speak, even if he does call for Lance, it will be too quiet and shaky to hear, let alone understand.

Lotor’s smile begins to slip as Keith stands there, mouth still open, eyes wide and body stiff. He should call Lance over here.

A warm arm slips around his shoulders, pulling him possessively close, and, looking up, he realizes that the beautiful, scowling face of his boyfriend is why Lotor had begun to frown and pull away.

He hadn’t realized how loud the humming and sizzling was now that it’s stopped. A deafening silence has settled around them, his breathing being the only thing filling the small mudroom with noise. He thinks his ears might be ringing.

”...mean to intrude,” Lotor’s moving lips have finally began to form words, and it’s takes Keith a few seconds to realize Lotor has been speaking since the moment Lance had touched him. He’s not sure what, of course, but by the look on Lance’s face, he thinks he shouldn’t be impressed.

”I don’t care,” Lance snaps, voice low and dangerous, “what you did or didn’t mean to do. You need to leave.”

Keith looks up at Lance with wide eyes and stinging with tears. If his throat had opened enough for him to speak before, it’s closed up tight again, and he can’t find it in himself to speak.

(He loves Lance.)

”All I wish to do—“ Lotor begins, before cutting himself off with a poorly contained sigh. Keith looks away when Lotor looks at him, eyes desperate and pleading, locking onto their closer. “May I speak with him alone?”

Lance’s grip becomes tighter. He feels like it should hurt but it’s grounding and he feels safe with Lance holding him like this. “No,” Lance says, voice hard. Keith melts into his side, arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. 

When he manages to look back at Lotor, he finds him smirking, eyes glinting with something dangerous. Keith’s throat constricts and he takes a small step back, to which Lance matches by loosening his grip so Keith can leave if he wants to.

(He can never describe, in words, how much he loves Lance.)

“It would be far more preferable to hear it from the party I was speaking of, wouldn’t you agree?” Lotor asks, and Keith’s eyes water. His vision blurs as Lance’s grip tightens once more, while Lance’s free hand reaches for the door. He screws his eyes shut, though it does nothing to stop the tears from slipping out, rolling agonizingly slowly down his cheeks. 

“I said, no,” Lance repeats, hissing out the word no. “If you don’t leave in the next ten seconds, I’m calling the police,” Lance says, voice threatening. He knows that won’t make Lotor leave, not when he’s got plenty of lawyers and owes favours.

He lets his eyes flutter open when he hears a quiet thumping noise, eyes widening with panic when he sees the door halfway shut, with a pale hand on the front. He sniffles and scrambled backwards when Lotor forces the door all the way open, despite Lance’s strength and will to shut it. He doesn’t come inside, thankfully, but he’s taller than Lance and able to see Keith over him, if the way he locks eyes with Keith’s wet ones is any indication.

”Leave,” Lance snarls, knuckles white from how tight he’s holding the edge of the door. He blocks the doorway with his body, and though Lotor could shove past him if he really wanted to, it helps to soothe his screaming nerves. When Lotor doesn’t budge, eyes still glued on Keith, he watches the muscles in Lance’s back and shoulders tense as he looks up at Lotor. “Now.”

”I would absolutely love to hear it from that little attention whore behind you—“

Keith curls in on himself slightly, a bitter taste forming in his mouth from those words. 

“Keith, darling, sweetheart, love of my life,” Lance’s voice is soft when he addresses him, and when he turns to look at him, his face is equally as soft, no trace of the scowl he had previously worn. Lotor’s face is the complete opposite from his, from where he’s glaring down at Lance, twisted in anger and, if he were in a child’s cartoon, there would be steam coming out of his ears, he’s certain. His eyes burn uncomfortably. “Call the police.”

Keith blinks, eyes wide and surprised. Lance... Lance was serious? He would call the police to take Lotor away from here? For him?

Lance looks at him expectantly, and Keith, afraid he’ll take back his offer, hastily pulls out his phone with trembling fingers.

He barely gets his thumb over the power button when there’s a slamming noise, and Lance is stumbling back towards him. He looks up, forgetting how to breathe as he sees Lotor stalking inside, hands clenched at his side and eye twitching in his glare.

”Keith,” he growls, earning a flinch from the mentioned boy. Keith recoils, fingers tight on his phone as Lance stands in front of him, fists raised. “Do not—“ Lotor blinks slowly, cutting himself off. His face softens in that instant, and he looks around, as if just noticing he had come inside. Keith swallows thickly as Lotor looks back at him. His eyes practically bulge out of his head when he looks at their position, with Lance standing in front of Keith, ready to fight, while Keith stood behind him, on the verge of tears. “What— what happened?” Lotor asks, voice having lost it’s threatening edge. Keith flinches all the same, stepping back, stepping away. He started having mood swings like this near their break up, then pretended not to remember. He doesn’t understand. “Keith?”

”Get out,” Lance snaps, then, straightening to his full height. Lotor looks shocked, eyes widening in surprise at Lance. Keith could never be more grateful for Lance. “and never come back.”

Lotor casts his gaze between them, clearly conflicted, but, eventually, nods. It’s reluctant as he sets the roses down on the nightstand beside the door, reluctant as he walks out. 

Lance doesn’t relax until Lotor’s out of sight, shoulders slumping as he walks towards the door, grabbing the bouquet. “Do you want these?” he asks, gently waving around the flowers as if Keith didn’t know what he was talking about. Keith shakes his head, shoving his phone back into his pocket and blinking rapidly to clear the tears that had gathered when he refused to cry any more. “Good,” Lance says, and moves towards the door. He grabs the edge of it and cracks his arm before chucking the bouquet of flowers out of the open space, and closing the door softly before locking it.

His phone buzzes.

He knows, without a doubt, that it’s Lotor (he never changed his number; never blocked Loot, a mistake he’s come to regret).

He ignores his phone.

Lance turns back to him, expression unreadable as he walks up to him. Arms wrap around him, pull him into a warm body and he sniffles pathetically, leaning into his embrace.

”I love you,” Lance says, voice quiet and soft in the small mudroom. He doesn’t let go, rubbing his back soothingly and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. Keith sniffles again, hoping Lance didn’t notice he had cried. He hates crying, especially in front of people. “All of those things he said; they aren’t true.”

Keith nods, because, well, he knows that, but it still hurts, especially when he still cares about Lotor, even if his feelings aren’t what he used to feel.

”I love you, too.”

Keith melts against Lance’s front, yawning quietly into his shirt, which gathers more tears into his eyes. 

His phone buzzes again and he sighs, shimmying his arm out of Lance’s grasp to grab his phone and mute it. He turns it on, and—

_Lotor, 5:43pm:_

_I haven’t a clue what has come over me. I regret every word I’ve said to you in the past and present, and I wish to make it up to you. You are a wonderful human being, and I’m glad you’ve found someone who can take care of you; love you in the ways I couldn’t. You deserve nothing but happiness, and perhaps I should’ve taken my pills before I came, but..._

_I’m sorry._

The texts send tears over his eyes and his phone falls from his hand with a clatter as he wraps his arms around Lance's waist, hiding his face in the safety of Lance’s chest. Lance stiffens slightly, but overall, doesn’t question it, and continues to comfort him.

His phone buzzes again.

He ignores it.

He doesn’t need Lotor.

He doesn’t, because Lance is all he needs to be happy, and that’s what Lotor said he deserves, right?

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea what the fuck i just wrote but here you go
> 
>  
> 
> it’s 12:30am gn


End file.
